04/12/2004
A Nevada man had to be rescued after he fell 30 feet into a mine shaft. Metro and Clark County firefighters spent 2 hours linking 150 feet of rope in order to get the man out. Police said the 29-year-old man was unconscious, but was talking by the time crews got him on the helicopter. A KTNV-TV news crew talked with crews on the scene about what it took to save the man's life. "We had a lot of rock fall around us, it was dark, and the county fire dept and metro working together, we don't usually work together a lot, we're trained slightly different, so some of the issues came up, but overall, it was a very safe, effective rescue," said Metro officer James Mitchell. The man is recovering he has some broken bones. Police said there are roughly 8,000 mine shafts around the valley, all of which they consider to be dangerous. (Source: KTNV-TV 13, Las Vegas)